Bleed v Regeneration


Rules Questions


Pathfinder Core Rulebook wrote:

Bleed: A creature that is taking bleed damage takes the listed amount of damage at the beginning of its turn. Bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage (even if the bleed is ability damage). Some bleed effects cause ability damage or even ability drain. Bleed effects do not stack with each other unless they deal different kinds of damage. When two or more bleed effects deal the same kind of damage, take the worse effect. In this case, ability

drain is worse than ability damage.
Pathfinder Bestiary Preview wrote:

Regeneration (Ex) A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0). Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, cause a creature’s regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack.

During this round, the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally. The creature’s descriptive text describes the types of damage that cause the regeneration to cease functioning.
Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage are not healed by regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.
A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability.

So, strictly by the reading, Regeneration wouldn't affect a Bleed effect, because it isn't a spell. However, it does heal hit point damage, so in theory (I think) it should be able to stop bleeding. Was this the intention behind the interaction?

What if the bleed effect was caused by something that would have bypassed the regeneration?

Liberty's Edge

Steev42 wrote:
Pathfinder Core Rulebook wrote:

Bleed: A creature that is taking bleed damage takes the listed amount of damage at the beginning of its turn. Bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage (even if the bleed is ability damage). Some bleed effects cause ability damage or even ability drain. Bleed effects do not stack with each other unless they deal different kinds of damage. When two or more bleed effects deal the same kind of damage, take the worse effect. In this case, ability

drain is worse than ability damage.
Pathfinder Bestiary Preview wrote:

Regeneration (Ex) A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Creatures with regeneration heal damage at a fixed rate, as with fast healing, but they cannot die as long as their regeneration is still functioning (although creatures with regeneration still fall unconscious when their hit points are below 0). Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, cause a creature’s regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack.

During this round, the creature does not heal any damage and can die normally. The creature’s descriptive text describes the types of damage that cause the regeneration to cease functioning.
Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage are not healed by regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts if they are brought together within 1 hour of severing. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.
A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability.

So, strictly by the reading, Regeneration wouldn't affect a Bleed effect, because it isn't a spell. However, it does heal hit point damage, so in theory (I think) it should be able to stop bleeding. Was this the intention behind the interaction?

What if the bleed effect was...

I would say regeneration stops bleed damage. The ring of regeneration actually straight up states this very thing.

Liberty's Edge

Steev42 wrote:
So, strictly by the reading, Regeneration wouldn't affect a Bleed effect, because it isn't a spell.

By the same interpretation, Bleed wouldn't be stopped by a cleric channeling positive energy either.

I'm pretty sure Regeneration stops Bleed.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

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The intent is that any actual healing can stop bleed damage. The wording of "any spell" is a bit confusing, alas. Channeled energy, regeneration, and fast healing should all stop bleed damage. Which is good, because bleed damage is scary!


James Jacobs wrote:
The intent is that any actual healing can stop bleed damage. The wording of "any spell" is a bit confusing, alas. Channeled energy, regeneration, and fast healing should all stop bleed damage. Which is good, because bleed damage is scary!

I think Regeneration and Fast Healing should stop bleeding, Yes. I don't think it should right away. If this was the case lots of abilities and feats would be useless by a creature with fast healing of 1, wich is not very nice.

In the Bleeding section although it states that healinf spells and some other methods can be used to stop the bleeding, it does not state if those spells should be used ONLY to stop the bleeding, or they heal the damage normaly. This is a 2nd edition issue, where many effects could be healed byt the proper healing spell, but in fact they heal the effect, not the hp.

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